Jamaicans with excellent pupil loans who migrate to the USA might encounter obstacles when updating or renewing their immigration standing, because of a latest partnership between the Jamaican and U.S. governments aimed toward monitoring down debtors with unpaid money owed.
Cheryl Surjue, Supervisor of the Mortgage Servicing Division at Jamaica’s College students’ Mortgage Bureau (SLB), informed JIS Information that the brand new association is designed to assist determine Jamaican nationals within the U.S. who’ve excellent pupil mortgage balances. Surjue defined that this partnership addresses instances the place professionals migrate and default on their loans, leaving the SLB with no technique to observe them. “Once they depart, we’re not in a position to absolutely observe their whereabouts, [and] these loans are inclined to go dangerous,” she stated.
As a part of this collaboration, U.S. immigration authorities will examine with the SLB to confirm whether or not Jamaicans making use of for visa renewals have any excellent pupil loans. “Individuals who could have migrated on the J1 visa and need to renew their standing with the U.S., earlier than they will truly try this, there’s an association the place the U.S. authorities wants to seek out out from us (Jamaica) if this individual is indebted to the Authorities,” Surjue added.
In response to Surjue, updating one’s U.S. immigration standing could require absolutely settling any excellent mortgage, not simply bringing funds updated. “It’s at this level that you just’ll discover most of those beneficiaries will truly begin servicing their loans, as a result of we didn’t know and so they didn’t talk with us that they migrated,” she defined.
She famous that this cross-border association has already helped the SLB recuperate overdue mortgage funds however cautioned debtors to behave responsibly by notifying the SLB of their migration plans and making preparations to repay their loans earlier than they turn out to be delinquent.
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“Earlier than you get to that time, we would like individuals to be accountable debtors. That is why we’ve truly launched our Monetary Literacy Programme, to understand how we will help and the way the beneficiaries could go about repaying their mortgage and never wait till it will get to that time of the mortgage being dangerous or we’ve got to solicit debt collectors to attempt to find you,” Surjue emphasised.
Via this program and the U.S. partnership, the SLB goals to encourage Jamaican debtors overseas to honor their debt obligations, making certain that they don’t seem to be caught off guard when renewing their immigration standing.